Bigger, more international and more motivating than ever: in December 2025, the interpack alliance trade fair duo will be inviting visitors to a very special edition in Cairo. With the tenth anniversary of Food Africa, growing international participation and diverse business impulses, the event together with a strong pacprocess MEA promises to be a real highlight in the international trade fair calendar.

There is much to celebrate at this year’s Food Africa and pacprocess MEA – and even more potential to reap. On 9 –12 December 2025, participants can look forward to an exhibition at the Egypt International Exhibition Center in Cairo that will focus on the African market with a strong impetus, international contacts and multifarious business opportunities. What is, today, the most important platform for the food and packaging industry on the continent and in the MEA region is organised by Messe Düsseldorf, together with local partners IFP Group and Konzept.

A special highlight this year is the tenth anniversary of Food Africa. What began as a regional trade fair in 2015 has, within a decade, established itself as the leading trade platform for the food and beverage industry in Africa. Today, it is the meeting place for international key players, exporters, buyers and political parties who drive innovation, trade and partnership in the region.

The sixth edition of pacprocess MEA will be taking place parallel to Food Africa. As part of the interpack alliance, it is firmly anchored in a global network and has developed into the leading marketplace for processing, packaging and printing technologies and packaging materials in the region. Beyond the food and beverage industry, international buyers from other user industries such as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics are also reached.

Focus on business and international cooperation
The figures speak for themselves: both events are already almost fully booked – with significantly more international exhibitors and newcomers than ever before, totalling over 1,000 exhibitors from 35 nations. Visitors from fast-growing markets such as Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa are specifically targeted in order to strengthen dialogue across the entire continent.

The strong business orientation is supported by the Hosted Buyers programme, which last year brought over 500 buyers from 70 countries to Cairo. The B2B matchmaking platform also promotes business: in 2024, over 5,500 meetings were arranged in this way. Both trade fairs also offer a conference programme with key players from the industry. Multipliers such as the World Packaging Organisation (WPO), the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the VDMA Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Association are involved.

Both events profit from support by local businesses, public authorities, associations and Egyptian governmental organisations. This also applies to the German Federal ministries, which support exhibitors on behalf of the German government and offer them the opportunity to present themselves at the German pavilion. Further international pavilions are planned for Turkey, Jordan and China as part of pacprocess MEA.